Modernly, portable electronic devices have become quite popular. Such portable devices have been made possible by the use of batteries which provide a convenient source of readily available electrical power.
While such power sources are convenient, the cost of replacing worn out batteries can be quite expensive. Therefore, in order to overcome the cost of replacing such batteries, modern portable electronic equipment employs rechargeable battery devices, such as batteries or battery packs. In this regard, through the use of a battery charger, a rechargeable battery or battery pack may be recharged repeatedly for the continued use of the equipment powered thereby.
In this regard, there are well over 100 different types and kinds of rechargeable battery packs in common use today. They include battery packs for a variety of different applications, including laptop computers, two-way communication devices and others.
The wide variety of different types and kinds of power sources has created a problem in that the user must purchase a different battery charger for each different battery device to be recharged. In this regard, there are a variety of different manufacturers of the same kind of battery device. Moreover, the same manufacturer may produce different models of a particular items, thus, producing variances between the particular type and kind of battery packs and batteries. For example, there are many different categories of rechargeable battery devices, including battery packs, cylindrical batteries, lantern batteries, dry cell batteries and wet cell batteries.
Such different configuration of batteries as well as the dimensional differences in various battery devices relative to their height, width, length, and placement of electrodes results in wide variations between such types and kinds of devices.
In an attempt to accommodate different types and kinds of battery devices, battery chargers individually sized battery device receiving holding units have been employed. In this regard, each such individually dimensioned holding unit or receptacle is molded of thermoplastic to accommodate only one given type of battery pack or battery. Thus, the variations in battery device dimensions and terminals locations necessitates making a new mold each time a new rechargeable battery device comes on the market. In this manner, a user can use only a single battery charger employing a group of different receiving units or receptacles for the same battery charger. However, the battery charger manufacturer does have considerable expenses for making the mold. Also, there are, of course, unwanted time delays in having the mold made, and thus the new receiving units are not made available to the public immediately.
Also, the battery charger manufacturers incur additional expenses in supplying the receiving units to the public. In this regard, there is added production costs, research and development costs, packaging costs, and administrative costs. Also, to accommodate the various types and kinds of receiving units in the prior known universally adaptable battery chargers, there is necessitated significant inventory costs. Furthermore, the owners of the prior known battery chargers must be made known of the new receiving units, as they become available. Thus, added expenses are incurred by the battery charger manufacturer.
Before each new receiving unit can be mass produced for public use, each unit must be tested thoroughly. In this regard, the new unit must hold its battery device securely in place to enable the battery device terminals or battery terminals to be connected electrically to the charging electrodes of the charger to permit proper electrical current flow to the battery.
The proliferation of such a wide variety of different battery devices also presents a problem for the consumer. Thus, to charge each of these different types and kinds of batteries and battery packs, the consumer must purchase a different battery device receiving unit for each different type and kind of battery device to be charged by the user. Thus, there is an added expense and inconvenience to the user. In addition to the expense of acquiring several different specially dimensioned units, the consumer is also inconvenienced by having to store such units.
Finally, the consumer is also inconvenienced by the time lag between the introduction of a new battery device into the marketplace, and the actual production of a new battery device receiving unit. Thus, even though the user may have purchased previously a universally adaptable battery charger, he or she may not be able to charge his or her new battery device, unless and until the battery charger manufacturer makes the new battery device receiving unit available to enable the existing battery charger to accommodate the new battery device.
Thus, it would be highly desirable to enable a single battery charger unit to recharge a large number of different types and kinds of batteries and battery packs. Such a technique should also be inexpensive to manufacture and readily adaptable to a majority, if not all, of the different types and kinds of rechargeable devices entering the marketplace.